No Steven Spielberg in 'Chicago 7'

Producer Walter F. Parkes has confirmed that Steven Spielberg won't be taking the director seat on the 'Trial of the Chicago 7' movie project.

Photo credit: David Gabber/PR Photos

Back in February, reports have been buzzing over the speculation of "The Trial of the Chicago 7" delay due to Steven Spielberg's exit from the project. While for months the news has been left hanging without any further details of confirmation, a recent interview with producer Walter F. Parkes unveils the problem behind the rumor.

Opening up about the matter to Movie Web, Parkes confirmed that the acclaimed director has no longer been attached to the drama movie. "We're working on Chicago 7. We have a wonderful script," said the producer of "The Kite Runner". "We haven't quite settled on a director yet, and that's probably the next one down the pipe."

He further explained about the dropping out of Spielberg stating, "No, he is not going to do it. He kind of had a moment of availability to do it, and the strike got in the way. We were unable to do the script work that Steven felt he needed and then, by the time the strike was over, he had already committed himself to to begin production on Tintin, which he's shooting along with (producer) Peter Jackson, and I guess it's in October or November."

"So, it's not inconcievable that he would come back, but for now, he's had to move on to Tintin, which is something that he's been working on for 20 years. We'll be sure to keep you posted on any and all of the latest developments surrounding The Trial of the Chicago 7 as soon as we have more information."

Based on a true event, "Chicago 7" highlights the trials of seven protestors at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago. The script has been provided by Aaron Sorkin, while the cast include Sacha Baron Cohen and Daniel Morton. The DreamWorks SKG 's film was originally scheduled to start production is late March.